Get to know the wonderful historic places of Germantown! Nineteen historic houses and museums in Northwest Philadelphia are allied to protect, preserve and promote this historical resource. NVN will be offering a series of tours over the summer and fall to several of the sites for personal introductory tours.

 

On Saturday, June 8, we will tour Cliveden. The property interprets the spectrum of historic lives spanning over 250 years, from the wealthy royalists to the soldiers of British and Yankee bands, and generations of black laborers.

 

The tour will begin at 10:30 am at the side entrance on Cliveden Street and proceed for a walk around the perimeter of this summer retreat of the Benjamin Chew family.

 

At 12:00 pm, there will be a one-hour tour of the home, built by local German craftsmen in 1763-67, and where seven generations of the Chew family lived until 1972. 

 

Additional Background on Cliveden: Benjamin Chew (1722-1810) was a prominent Royalist lawyer in Philadelphia. This property and a Maryland farm owned by the family, were maintained by a rotating corps of slaves and black retainers. “The Battle of Germantown” was fought here on October 4, 1777, when General Washington and his troops met the British Army under Sir William Howe ensconced in the Cliveden mansion. The event is often re-enacted colorfully by American Revolutionaries, British soldiers, Hessian mercenaries and a host of camp-followers. 

 

Saturday, July 13 - Stenton

Saturday, September 14 - Johnson House & Concord School House

Saturday, October 12 - Rittenhouse Town